Mongolia's "ninja" miners help sate China lust for gold

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DAVID GRAY

Thursday, April 19, 2012

A small-scale miner holds his gold that was melted together at a processing plant located around 100km (62 miles) north of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator in this April 5, 2012 file picture. REUTERS/David Gray/Files

Thursday, April 19, 2012

A small-scale miner holds his gold that was melted together at a processing plant located around 100km (62 miles) north of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator in this April 5, 2012 file picture. REUTERS/David Gray/Files

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Photographer

DAVID GRAY

Thursday, April 19, 2012

A small-scale miner shows the gold he and his colleagues have found in one day on a small hill overlooking grasslands located around 200 km (125 miles) south-west of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator in this April 4, 2012 file picture. REUTERS/David Gray/Files

Thursday, April 19, 2012

A small-scale miner shows the gold he and his colleagues have found in one day on a small hill overlooking grasslands located around 200 km (125 miles) south-west of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator in this April 4, 2012 file picture. REUTERS/David Gray/Files

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Photographer

DAVID GRAY

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Small-scale miners watch as a colleague digs a hole searching for gold on a small hill overlooking grasslands located around 200 km (125 miles) south-west of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator in this April 4, 2012 file picture. REUTERS/David Gray/Files

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Small-scale miners watch as a colleague digs a hole searching for gold on a small hill overlooking grasslands located around 200 km (125 miles) south-west of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator in this April 4, 2012 file picture. REUTERS/David Gray/Files

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Photographer

DAVID GRAY

Thursday, April 19, 2012

A small-scale miner digs a hole searching for gold on a small hill overlooking grasslands located around 200 km (125 miles) south-west of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator in this April 4, 2012 file picture. REUTERS/David Gray/Files

Thursday, April 19, 2012

A small-scale miner digs a hole searching for gold on a small hill overlooking grasslands located around 200 km (125 miles) south-west of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator in this April 4, 2012 file picture. REUTERS/David Gray/Files

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Photographer

DAVID GRAY

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Small-scale miners watch as a colleague uses a pan to sift gold on a small hill overlooking grasslands located around 200 km (125 miles) south-west of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator in this April 4, 2012 file picture. REUTERS/David Gray/Files

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Small-scale miners watch as a colleague uses a pan to sift gold on a small hill overlooking grasslands located around 200 km (125 miles) south-west of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator in this April 4, 2012 file picture. REUTERS/David Gray/Files

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Photographer

DAVID GRAY

Thursday, April 19, 2012

A small-scale miner shows the gold flakes he found at the bottom of his pan on a small hill overlooking grasslands located around 200 km (125 miles) south-west of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator in this April 4, 2012 file picture. REUTERS/David Gray/Files

Thursday, April 19, 2012

A small-scale miner shows the gold flakes he found at the bottom of his pan on a small hill overlooking grasslands located around 200 km (125 miles) south-west of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator in this April 4, 2012 file picture. REUTERS/David Gray/Files

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Photographer

DAVID GRAY

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Small-scale miners watch a machine used to siphon gold from crushed rocks at a processing plant located around 100 km (62 miles) north of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator in this April 5, 2012 file picture. REUTERS/David Gray/Files

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Small-scale miners watch a machine used to siphon gold from crushed rocks at a processing plant located around 100 km (62 miles) north of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator in this April 5, 2012 file picture. REUTERS/David Gray/Files

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Photographer

DAVID GRAY

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Small-scale miners remove mats placed to capture gold from a crushing machine at a processing plant located around 100 km (62 miles) north of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator in this April 5, 2012 file picture. REUTERS/David Gray/Files

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Small-scale miners remove mats placed to capture gold from a crushing machine at a processing plant located around 100 km (62 miles) north of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator in this April 5, 2012 file picture. REUTERS/David Gray/Files

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Photographer

DAVID GRAY

Thursday, April 19, 2012

A small-scale miner pours water into a crushing machine in an attempt to siphon gold at a processing located around 100 km (62 miles) north of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator in this April 5, 2012 file picture. REUTERS/David Gray/Files

Thursday, April 19, 2012

A small-scale miner pours water into a crushing machine in an attempt to siphon gold at a processing located around 100 km (62 miles) north of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator in this April 5, 2012 file picture. REUTERS/David Gray/Files

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Photographer

DAVID GRAY

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Small-scale miners wait for their gold to be melted into one piece before being weighed and sold at a processing plant located around 100 km (62 miles) north of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator in this April 5, 2012 file picture. REUTERS/David Gray/Files

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Small-scale miners wait for their gold to be melted into one piece before being weighed and sold at a processing plant located around 100 km (62 miles) north of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator in this April 5, 2012 file picture. REUTERS/David Gray/Files

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Photographer

DAVID GRAY

Thursday, April 19, 2012

A woman performs a water displacement test to determine the purity of some gold that was brought in by small-scale miners at a processing plant located around 100km (62 miles) north of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator in this April 5, 2012 file picture. REUTERS/David Gray/Files

Thursday, April 19, 2012

A woman performs a water displacement test to determine the purity of some gold that was brought in by small-scale miners at a processing plant located around 100km (62 miles) north of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator in this April 5, 2012 file picture. REUTERS/David Gray/Files